Stretchable band capable of retaining shape and headwear using the same

ABSTRACT

A stretchable band capable of retaining its shape, and headwear using the same are disclosed. The stretchable band has a plurality of warp yarns and weft yarns. Some warp yarns are stretchable polyurethane yarns, while at least a part of the weft yarns are monofilament yarns having shape-restoring properties. A plurality of ventilated openings are formed on the band to provide passage of air and moisture. The ventilated openings are formed along the lengthwise direction such that a part of the first yarns are omitted when weaving.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] (a) Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a stretchable band capable ofretaining its shape, and headwear using the same. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to a stretchable band that retains its shapethrough a shape-restoring property of the used yarns, and headwear inwhich the stretchable band is applied.

[0003] (b) Description of the Related Art

[0004] A stretchable band is generally used for a sweatband of a cap.The band can provide a wearer with wearing comfort of the cap because ithas elasticity in a lengthwise direction, i.e., circumferentialdirection of the cap. However, a conventional stretchable band isconstructed by soft warps and wefts so that it is hard to maintain theshape of the applied article. Specifically, when the band is employed asa sweatband in headwear such as a cap, it is difficult to retain theround shape of a lower circumference of a crown portion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In view of the prior art described above, it is an object of thepresent invention to provide a stretchable band which is capable ofretaining its shape through a shape-restoring property of the yarnsused.

[0006] It is another object of the present invention to provide headwearhaving a stretchable sweatband with properties to evaporate perspirationoutwardly as well as to retain its shape, resulting in enhanced wearingcomfort.

[0007] To achieve these and other objects, as embodied and broadlydescribed herein, a stretchable band capable of retaining its shape hasa plurality of first yarns and a plurality of second yarns which areweaved with the first yarns. At least a part of the first yarns arestretchable, while at least a part of the second yarns haveshape-restoring properties.

[0008] Preferably, the second yarns having shape-restoring propertiesare monofilament yarns, and the stretchable first yarns are polyurethaneyarns.

[0009] The band preferably includes a plurality of ventilated openingsproviding passage of air and moisture.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, headwearincludes a head covering portion covering a head of a wearer, and astretchable sweatband provided at the interior circumference of the headcovering portion. The stretchable sweatband has a plurality of firstyarns, at least a part of the first yarns being stretchable; and aplurality of second yarns which are weaved with the first yarns, atleast a part of the second yarns having shape-restoring properties.

[0011] Both the foregoing general description and the following DetailedDescription are exemplary and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying drawings provide a further understanding of theinvention, and together with the Detailed Description, explain theprinciples of the invention. In the drawings:

[0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary cap implemented bythe present invention;

[0014]FIG. 2 is an elevation view of a band according to a firstembodiment;

[0015]FIG. 3 is an elevation view of a band according to a secondembodiment; and

[0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary visor cap implementedby the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will hereinafterbe described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Referring to FIG. 1, a cap has a crown portion 1 for being wornon a head of a wearer, a visor portion 3 coupled to the crown portion 1for blocking sunlight, and a stretchable band 5 provided at the interiorcircumference of the crown portion 1 for serving as a sweat band. Thepresent invention is not limited to the cap having the crown portion 1as shown in FIG. 1 which merely shows an example as a kind ofapplication, and it may be a hat, a visor cap as shown in FIG. 4, orother various kinds of headwear. Further, it should also be noted that astretchable band according to the present invention is not limited toheadwear but may have various applications to clothing, bags, footwear,and other various articles.

[0019] Referring now to FIG. 2, the stretchable band 5 is weaved of weftyarns 7 a and warp yarns 7 b crossing one another. A part or all of theweft yarns 7 a are made of strands having shape-retainingcharacteristics. It is also possible to employ stands havingshape-retaining characteristics as a part or all of the warp yarns 7 b.The strands having shape-retaining characteristics are preferably madeof monofilament yarns with predetermined shape-restoring propertieswhich may be selected from nylon, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET),Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), and other syntheticmonofilaments. The monofilament yarns preferably have diameters of 50deniers or more in order to obtain suitable shape-restoring properties.

[0020] The stretchable band 5 is preferably stretchable along alengthwise direction (arrow direction in FIG. 2) such that a part or allof the warp yarns are stretchable yarns such as polyurethane yarns.

[0021] The stretchable band 5 further has a plurality of ventilatedopenings 7 which are provided along the lengthwise direction. Theventilated openings 7 can be made such that some warp yarns 7 b areomitted when weaving.

[0022] Textile portions 9 of the band 5 are referred to woven portionwhere the ventilated openings 7 are not provided. The textile portions 9may adopt loop yarns such that the loop yarns couple the weft yarns 7 aand warp yarns 7 b with one another to make the textile portions 9solid. The loop yarns are preferably materials absorptive for sweat andmoisture to enhance the merits of goods such as headwear. The loop yarnsare generally used, and therefore their specific explanation is omitted.

[0023] Since the stretchable band 5 has shape-retaining characteristics,it is applicable to various fabric articles whose shapes are required tobe retained.

[0024] When a wearer wears the cap as shown in FIG. 1, to which thestretchable band is applied, the band 5 can have the cap retain itsshape and it stretches in the lengthwise direction to enhance wearingcomfort. When the wearer sweats, the ventilated openings 7 mayfacilitate passage of air and moisture to evaporate the sweat, resultingin a more pleasant feeling for the wearer.

[0025] Further, the loop yarns of the textile portion 9 may enhance theabsorbent properties of the cap. The weft yarns 7 a are weavedsubstantially orthogonal to the warp yarns 7 b in the lengthwisedirection (arrow direction in FIG. 2). Under some circumstances, theweft yarns are referred to as the warp yarns, and vice versa.

[0026] Referring now to FIG. 3, a second embodiment of the presentinvention will be described. A stretchable band 5 is similar to that ofthe first embodiment, except for a pattern portion 10 which is formed byseparate pattern yarns. The pattern portion 10 is ornamented with acompany logotype, advertisement, trademark, or other patterns. Thepattern yarns are coupled to the textile portion 9 of the band 5 usinggeneral patterning methods, and therefore their specific explanation isomitted. Because the pattern yarns are coupled to the textile portion 9to make the stretchable band 5 solid, the band 5 may have enhancedshape-retaining properties. The second embodiment shows variousapplications of the present invention.

[0027]FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary visor cap incorporating the bandof the embodiments according to the present invention. The visor cap hasa rim portion 6 encircling the head, a visor portion 3 coupled with oneside of the rim portion, and a stretchable band 5 of the presentinvention provided at the interior circumference of the rim portion 6.The present invention may be implemented with various kind of headwearincluding caps and visor caps. The band 5 is provided at the interiorcircumference of the crown portion 1 of FIG. 1 or rim portion 6 of FIG.4. Specifically, the band 5 is provided at the entire circumference, orat a part of the circumference.

[0028] Although the present invention is explained in reference toheadwear, it should be noted that the stretchable band according to thepresent invention is applicable to headwear, clothing, bags, footwear,and so forth. The stretchable band according to the present inventionmay retain it own shape through shape-restoring properties to improvethe merit of textile goods.

[0029] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A stretchable band capable of retaining its shape, comprising: a plurality of first yarns, at least a part of the first yarns being stretchable; and a plurality of second yarns which are weaved with the first yarns, at least a part of the second yarns having shape-restoring properties.
 2. The stretchable band as recited in claim 1, wherein the second yarns having shape-restoring properties are monofilament yarns.
 3. The stretchable band as recited in claim 2, wherein the monofilament yarns have diameters of 50 deniers or more.
 4. The stretchable band as recited in claim 2, wherein the second yarns are selected from nylon, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polyethylene (PE), and Polypropylene (PP).
 5. The stretchable band as recited in claim 1, wherein the stretchable first yarns are polyurethane yarns, latex yarns or spandex yarns.
 6. The stretchable band as recited in claim 1, wherein the first yarns are warp yarns and the second yarns are weft yarns.
 7. The stretchable band as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of ventilated openings providing passage of air and moisture.
 8. The stretchable band as recited in claim 7, wherein the plurality of ventilated openings are formed such that a part of the first yarns are omitted when weaving.
 9. The stretchable band as recited in claim 7, wherein the plurality of ventilated openings are disposed along a lengthwise direction.
 10. The stretchable band as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a pattern portion being ornamented with a predetermined pattern.
 11. A fabric article comprising the stretchable band of claim 1, wherein the fabric article is capable of retaining a shape where the stretchable band is applied.
 12. Headwear comprising: a head covering portion covering a head of a wearer; and a stretchable sweatband, provided at the interior circumference of the head covering portion, being capable of retaining a shape of the headwear and comprising: a plurality of first yarns, at least a part of the first yarns being stretchable; and a plurality of second yarns which are weaved with the first yarns, at least a part of the second yarns having shape-restoring properties.
 13. The headwear as recited in claim 12, wherein the second yarns having shape-restoring properties are monofilament yarns.
 14. The headwear as recited in claim 13, wherein the monofilament yarns have diameters of 50 deniers or more.
 15. The headwear as recited in claim 12, wherein the stretchable first yarns are polyurethane yarns.
 16. The headwear as recited in claim 12, wherein the sweatband further comprises: a plurality of ventilated openings providing passage of air and moisture.
 17. The headwear as recited in claim 16, wherein the plurality of ventilated openings are formed such that a part of the first yarns are omitted when weaving.
 18. The headwear as recited in claim 12, wherein the sweatband further comprises: a pattern portion being ornamented with a predetermined pattern.
 19. The headwear as recited in claim 12, wherein the headwear is selected from a cap, a visor cap, and a hat.
 20. A method comprising: providing a head covering portion of headwear; and coupling a stretchable band to the interior circumference of the head covering portion wherein the stretchable band comprises: a plurality of first yarns, at least a part of the first yarns being stretchable; and a plurality of second yarns which are weaved with the first yarns, at least a part of the second yarns having shape-restoring properties.
 21. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the second yarns having shape-restoring properties are monofilament yarns. 